NASCAR 2018: Who Could Be Next To Retire?

As premiere week continues so to speak on NASCAR Race Hub, a lot has been previewed as far as from a manufacturing standpoint. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota were all covered along with every team going from Joe Gibbs Racing all the way to Stewart-Haas Racing. While those begin to prepare for the upcoming 2018 season, there is usually the question of who will race their last. The last three seasons saw the biggest names step away which has led to more young drivers stepping up.

Jeff Gordon started the trend in 2015, which was followed in 2016 by Tony Stewart and then Greg Biffle after the season ended. Last season, we saw what no one expected as Dale Earnhardt Jr decided to step away, most likely due to his health, and then Matt Kenseth bowed out along with Danica Patrick being let go. In only three years, the list is pretty long, and it is possible it could get longer. Here are some of the drivers who may hang it up after the 2018 NASCAR season.

Kurt Busch: After winning the Daytona 500 last season, that was all he could accomplish as he only finished as high as 14th in the playoffs. Kurt only led 16 laps all season and had seven DNFs, and most importantly his option on his latest contract wasn’t picked up, most likely due to sponsorship issues. He did however sign a one-year deal which doesn’t look too promising unless he becomes more productive. SHR already had to replace Patrick due to lack of production.

Ryan Newman: Snapping a 127-race winless which lasted almost four years was one of the biggest highlights for Richard Childress Racing. Even after his win and Austin Dillon earning his first, there wasn’t much difference in performance after only 13 top tens and being eliminated in the second round. To make matters worse, he finished dead last among the playoff drivers while Dillon was 11th. With only two cars active, it will be interesting to see how this will work.

Kasey Kahne: With what was the most promising move in his career signing with Hendrick, he only pulled off two wins in four seasons, with only over one hundred races seperating them. Despite his iconic win in Indianapolis, it was not enough to keep his seat, as the organization decided to go younger and follow the tutilidge of Jimmie Johnson. Now signed on with Leavine Family Racing, the writing could be on the wall as far as his career in Monster Cup is concerned.